Director of Nursing
About The Position
The Director of Nursing (DON) provides nursing leadership and operational oversight for the nursing department in a residential and outpatient co-occurring-capable substance use disorder treatment setting. The DON directs a multidisciplinary team of Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Medication Aides to ensure safe, high-quality, patient-centered care. The role oversees nursing practice standards, medication management, and patient safety across all levels of care. It ensures compliance with facility policies, contractual obligations, DBHDS regulations, state and federal laws, DEA requirements, and CARF accreditation standards, while fostering nursing excellence, compassion, and continuous improvement. This is a full-time, salaried, exempt, direct-care position based on-site in Lynchburg, Virginia, with a stated schedule of 40 hours per week. Flexibility is required for weekend, holiday, and on-call coverage. The role is primarily in an indoor residential clinical environment and may involve exposure to people experiencing acute behavioral health or medical needs.
Requirements
- Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing with an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing.
- Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in good standing in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- At least 2 years of nursing supervisory or leadership experience.
- Demonstrated supervisory and leadership skills, including clinical decision-making and problem-solving ability.
- In-depth knowledge of CARF accreditation requirements and behavioral health compliance standards.
- Comprehensive understanding of holistic addiction treatment, co-occurring disorders, and clinical care in a residential SUD setting.
- Ability to develop and implement patient-centered clinical programs for individuals with substance use disorder.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to collaborate across disciplines and with organizational leadership.
- Flexibility to provide weekend, holiday, and on-call coverage.
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
- Experience in an inpatient or residential substance use disorder treatment setting.
Responsibilities
- Direct daily nursing operations and ensure nursing activities comply with facility policies, contractual obligations, DBHDS regulations, state and federal laws, DEA requirements, and CARF accreditation standards.
- Interview, hire, supervise, and manage the performance and retention of nursing staff; manage monthly schedules to ensure adequate coverage across shifts, weekends, holidays, and on-call rotations.
- Provide direct nursing coverage when required.
- Coordinate and monitor staff orientation, competency validation, in-service training, and continuing education.
- Oversee medication storage, administration, documentation, and reconciliation processes.
- Review and audit medical records to ensure nursing documentation is accurate, timely, and compliant with applicable federal, state, and payer requirements.
- Manage departmental finances and keep payroll and costs within the allotted budget.
- Provide nursing consultation, training, and guidance for complex patient presentations, co-occurring behavioral health needs, and challenging nursing situations.
- Participate as a nursing leader in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, grievance and appeals processes, and quality improvement initiatives.
- Track, analyze, and report performance indicators, including medication error rates, documentation compliance, incident trends, and staffing metrics; lead data-driven performance improvement initiatives.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate nursing policies, procedures, and health care protocols aligned with facility, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
- Prepare and submit incident reports, regulatory documentation, and internal performance reports within applicable requirements and timelines.
- Perform additional duties as assigned to support the nursing department and facility mission.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
Associate degree
